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Social Networks and Networked Scholars

An Open-Access Database of Paddle Designs from Pottery of the Woodland Period in the American Southeast

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 March 2017

Thomas J. Pluckhahn  and
Neill J. Wallis
Thomas J. Pluckhahn
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA ([email protected])
Neill J. Wallis
Affiliation:
Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
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Abstract

We describe the development of an open-access database for Swift Creek Complicated Stamped ceramics, a type of pottery common to Georgia, eastern Alabama, and northern Florida in the Middle and Late Woodland periods between ca. cal A.D. 100 and 800. The characteristic stamped designs on Swift Creek pottery, created by impressing a carved paddle into a clay vessel before firing, provide unique signatures that enable archaeologists to identify paddle matches—multiple vessels, sometimes hundreds of kilometers apart, stamped with a single paddle. These paddle matches potentially allow archaeologists to trace social interactions across hundreds of kilometers with high spatial and temporal resolution. To date, however, this potential has been hindered by the limited accessibility and fragmented nature of the dataset of reconstructed designs. The database we describe integrates paddle designs with other pertinent data for identifying paddle matches and their context, including the results of sourcing and technofunctional analyses and absolute dating. We view this database not only as a critical component of our own research, but also as a platform for collaboration among researchers that will facilitate broad syntheses of the region.

Se describe el desarrollo de una base de datos de libre acceso para la cerámica Swift Creek Complicated Stamped, un tipo de cerámica común en Georgia, el este de Alabama y el norte de Florida en los períodos Silvícola Medio y Tardío, entre aproximadamente 100 y 800 cal d.C. Los diseños característicos estampados sobre la cerámica Swift Creek, creados mediante la impresión de una paleta de madera tallada en un recipiente de arcilla húmeda antes del secado y cocción, proporcionan firmas únicas que permiten identificar la ocurrencia de múltiples vasos, a veces cientos de kilómetros aparte, estampados con la misma paleta. Estas coincidencias entre diseños de paleta tienen el potencial de permitir el rastreo de las interacciones sociales a distancias de cientos de kilómetros con una alta resolución espacial y temporal. Sin embargo, hasta ahora este potencial se ha visto obstaculizado por la accesibilidad limitada y la fragmentación del conjunto de datos de diseños reconstruidos. La base de datos que describimos integra diseños de paleta con otros datos pertinentes para la identificación de coincidencias de paletas y su contexto, incluyendo los datos de procedencia, análisis técnico-funcional y datación absoluta. Consideramos que esta base de datos no sólo funciona como un componente crítico de nuestra propia investigación, sino también como una plataforma para la colaboración entre investigadores que facilitará amplias síntesis de la región.

Type
Articles
Information
Advances in Archaeological Practice , Volume 5 , Issue 2 , May 2017 , pp. 159 - 169
Copyright
Copyright 2017 © Society for American Archaeology 

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